Conversations about climate change, protecting the environment, and sustainability have never been more predominant. They can be as big as Rio+20, the latest United Nations Earth Summit, where heads of states from all over the world to discuss and develop environmental policies. Or they can be as small as a little child that shows his grandmother how to cook while saving energy.

The television show Contraseña Verde (Code Green) shows some of those small conversations, from the perspective of children. In one short episode, Claudio teaches his grandmother about the olla bruja (witch pot), which saves energy by heating itself up. It is an adorable story, full of hope, and demonstrates that even the youngest ones can take action in favor of the planet.

Under the auspices of the Goethe Institut in Buenos Aires, the producers wanted to show everyday solutions, “not through dramatizing or the apocalyptic vision of the world ending, but through games and the pleasure of discovering possible exists led by the children themselves.”

The project is not exclusively environmental either. Its goals also include the formation of media professionals and promoting cooperation between different channels in the region. According to the Goethe Institut, this leads to a better use of resources and encourages local production. In this particular case, the countries that participated were Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, and Venezuela. All of them participated in training, meetings and production. And all of them transmitted the miniseries in June.

Another important goal the program’s producers say is to “mobilize children through media.” This makes the project particularly interesting, because in many ways it empowers them. Claudio’s story is a good example of a small decision that can make a difference. Another episode tells the story of how Juan Esteban got his friends to join him in reforesting an area where trees had been cut down. It’s a bigger action, but still within the reach of other children who take it as an example.

Contraseña Verde will not slow down the damage being done to the planet, but it will hopefully foster empowered and educated citizens, who love and protect the space where they live.

(The graphic is from Contraseña Verde’s website and is used here under fair use and fair comment guidelines. To see some excerpts from the program, please check below.)